Facing Evil
by PianoKeys913
Summary: "I made you who you are" Find out what happens to Nikita when she encounters the woman who is looking to get revenge and will go to any lengths to achieve it. I really wanted to portray Nikita and Amanda's complicated relationship. One-shot. Comments are appreciated!


**NOTE: ****So I managed to finish this short story inspired by last week's episode "Consequences." I think Amanda is such an interesting and complex character. I really like all the scene's between Amanda and Nikita because Amanda is good at getting into people's minds. Here is my version!**

Facing Evil

Nikita came out from behind the curtain for the fifth time and Alex and Sonya were as anxious as ever to see the next dress. Nikita stepped out and looked at her friend's faces for approval. They both gasped and looked at each other then back at Nikita.

"Yes?" Nikita asked.

"Look for yourself," Alex said.

With the help of the tailor, she stepped onto the platform and stared at herself in the mirror. She was stunned-the dress fit her perfectly. A thick strap crossed diagonally onto her right shoulder decorated with jewels. The dress was intricately designed and fit tight to her slender figure then billowed at the bottom with a train decorated with beads around the edges. The tailor brought over a veil and put it into Nikita's hair. She draped it around Nikita's shoulders then let out a quiet "perfect."

Nikita still couldn't believe that she was in a wedding dress. She never dreamed this day would come. She was never supposed to get married, not her. Her life would have been so different and now she couldn't imagine it without Michael.

"What do you think Niki? You haven't said anything." A smile formed on Nikita's face as she pictured herself walking down the aisle towards Michael, the man she had feelings for since she'd met him years ago as a recruit.

"It's the one..." She said then turned to Alex and Sonya. "It's the one!" She yelled. The women yelled in excitement and hugged Nikita.

"I''m so happy for you!" Alex said as she held Nikita's hands.

"I must say you look stunning in that dress Nikita. Absolutely gorgeous," Sonya praised.

"Thank you so much...I'm getting married!" She yelled again as they all hugged.

Nikita put a payment on her dress and set up a time for alterations. The tailor congratulated her and the three women left the bridal shop. They all got into the car; Nikita was driver and Alex took passenger.

"So how about lunch?" Nikita suggested. They decided on sushi and Nikita began driving towards the restaurant using a GPS.

"It's telling me to turn right but...this is an alleyway." Nikita pulled over and took the GPS off of the windshield.

She heard the glass of her back window shatter. She instinctually pulled her gun out from the bottom of her seat, but it was too late. A man was already trying to drag her out of the car. He stabbed her with a needle in the side of her neck. She struggled to get loose but the effects of the drug was immediate. Her body went limp and the man dragged her into the alleyway. She could see Sonya and Alex unconscious in the back of the car and then she was pulled around a corner. Another man walked up and grabbed Nikita's legs and they shoved her into the back seat of a black escalade, the bad guy's car of choice these days.

"Good work boys," she heard someone say, a female. She could barely make out the words, because her head was spinning and everything was muffled.

"Well...ook who...is. I ha...ight...ere I want..." Everything was becoming incomprehensible and before she knew it, she was passed out in the back of the car.

Nikita woke up in shock realizing what happened. Her instinctive action was to jump up and find a weapon but as she tried to move her arms she was restricted by belts tied around her wrists. She tried to move her feet but the same thing happened.

_Where am I?_ She asked herself. The room was gray and damp with a titanium door. There was computer equipment set up not too far from her and medical equipment in the corner. She was unsure of where she was until she noticed a chair in the left corner facing the chair she was strapped in. It wasn't just any chair, it was a red velvet, fancy, Victorian chair.

"Amanda.." She said in disbelief. _How could she have found me?_ _I've got to find a way out of here..._

But she wasn't going anywhere, and she knew it. Her heart sunk as she heard the heavy door screech open and saw that familiar, cunning, composed yet evil face that had tormented her. Amanda was smiling. It wasn't a happy smile but a twisted, demented one. She walked towards Nikita with the sound of her heels echoing through the room.

"Nikita," Amanda said. Nikita didn't say anything but kept her eyes on Amanda. "I've missed you." The words were smothered with insincerity.

"Where's Alex and Sonya?" Nikita asked.

"I don't know. Probably back at Division already scrambling to figure out what happened and how to find you."

"You don't have them?"

"No. I didn't want them. I was looking for you."

"Well you found me. What do you want?" Nikita said nonchalantly. It was always Nikita's method of seeming not phased by danger. Amanda, knowing Nikita in and out after training her for years at Division, gave Nikita another sly smile.

"Congratulations on your engagement by the way and your dress...beautiful. Michael, he will love it. He should know how lucky he is to have you, strong, intelligent, beautiful, caring..." Nikita frowned. _How did she know? How did she know?"_

She noticed her heart beating fast in her chest and she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Why so quiet?"

The whole time Nikita had been lost in thought. She was in a daze.

"What do you want Amanda?"

"I remember when Percy told me that we had a new recruit. A girl on death row. She may have potential, he said. I was excited when I had you as a new recruit. You were a woman. Women have something that men don't have. Beauty, allure. Well you were far from that when you came into my office. Your mangled hair and bushy eyebrows. I knew you were going to be a tough one. But of course I was able to change you." Amanda stopped and got closer to Nikita. She put her hands on the arms of the chair that Nikita was strapped to.

"I made you who you are." She smiled and grabbed something off of the table next to the chair. She placed it in Nikita's lap. It was a picture of Nikita when she first entered Division. Nikita stared at her old self as If it were another person. It was another person. Her life had changed so much since she was that girl.

"Don't recognize yourself." Amanda said. "When I first started teaching you...how to be a women- wearing dresses, makeup, doing your hair and I dressed you up for the first time, gave you a complete make over, you loved it. Before, you would look at me like I was crazy. You had no confidence. You didn't think you were beautiful and then you learned. It was like magic. You owe that to me. I see you and how you dress. You still use what I taught you and you enjoy it."

"It still doesn't make up for the fact that you made me use that to complete missions. I hated what you all made me do. I hated being Josephine..."

"Oh but you were good at it Nikita and you knew its power and you taught it to Alex, didn't you?"

"It was only for the benefit of taking down Division," Nikita told her. Amanda just laughed.

"You just can't admit that the place you tried so hard to take down actually made you who you are. And it's funny Nikita. I thought that place was going to be destroyed after Percy died. I was sure that the government was going to get rid of every trace of it and somehow they let Fletcher take it over. It's still running. Why is that?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"You've got a point. Well you are pretty predictable. I know what it is. You want to save the lives of all those people in that hole. Really they are all 'dead' so therefore they are all disposable. But you want them to have another chance at life because that is what you want...with Michael. Isn't that right?"

Nikita just turned away from her. It hurt to hear her talk about these things. Amanda was mocking her.

"Division is ironic don't you think? We pick people from death row to come and act as heroes. They go after thieves, liars, murderers. And yet that is exactly what they are. They kill these bad people and they are no different. They were just lucky enough to keep their lives."

"You all made Division what it was. Carla wanted it to be like a rehabilitation center. A place where people can get back on their feet and start over but you and Percy..."

"Me and Percy had a vision. We wanted to have a strong group of people willing to do the work that the government couldn't do. Why take the killer out of the killer?" Amanda gave another smile.

"You must be lucky Nikita. You have a team, your friends who are willing to die for your cause."

"No..."

"Oh yes. How many near death experiences have you all had? There have even been casualties. Carla. She only wanted to keep the place running. She thought Division could be saved...and she died. But what are you doing now? You saved it. Wish she could've been here to see it."

Nikita felt tears in her eyes. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Amanda was right. This is what Carla wanted and she wasn't here to see it. Maybe she would've been if she had realized how bad Percy really was. Either way, the woman Nikita put so much faith in had been yet another casualty.

"Hm...what about Birkhoff? Ryan? Well I supposed they'd stay. Birkhoff can still waste time on the 'Shadow Net' and Ryan is so overly patriotic and naive that he thinks he can make a difference but you and I both know that he has his own motives and ever since he became the new Division leader there's been some friction between the two of you." Amanda looked at Nikita's face to see what she was thinking but Nikita kept her eyes on the gray wall in front of her.

"What about Alex?" Nikita looked up at Amanda when she mentioned Alex again. Alex was like her little sister and she was vey overprotective of her.

"What about her?" Nikita asked in a nonchalant tone. She didn't want to show any care. She wanted to hide her vulnerability.

"You know it is very interesting how much you have done for Alex who I'm assuming is going to be your maid of honor. You not only got her off drugs but you made her your protégée the way you were mine. I mean in a way you owe it to her and somehow she feels she owes you something now even though you did murder her father. It is interesting though. You both come from very different backgrounds. Alex, based on her birth, was bound to be the successor of Zetrov. Heiress to the throne her father created from the ground up. She grew up wealthy and yet ended up at the bottom. You, on the other hand, grew up bound to fail. You had no parents, your foster father was a horrible man, your foster mother was a horrible women and then you let drugs control your life."

"Why are you..." Amanda kept talking ignoring Nikita's interruption.

"Division made you. If Division hadn't been already up and running by time you ended up on death row you would have been dead by now for killing a cop. But we both know it was not out of cold blood. The cop killed your friend. Nikita can't do any wrong, right?" Nikita frowned.

"Anyway, she has pretty much been your side-kick since you found her. It was all for your own benefit right? Take down division, put someone on the inside. That's all you wanted."

"That's not true."

"Really?"

"Alex is my sister."

"The sister who's father you killed, correct?"

"That was all Division..."

"No it wasn't."

"I would never have gone into that house if it weren't for Division forcing me to kill."

"You could've refused. No one was standing over you telling you to pull trigger."

"What about after the mission? I would have been cancelled."

"Isn't that an option: escapism from the life that treated you so badly."

"No, because there is always a way out Amanda." Nikita said positively. Amanda walked over to the table close to Nikita's chair and picked something up. She held it so that Nikita couldn't see what was on it.

"I think it was an option for you long ago and for Alex: drugs which I think Alex hasn't quite let go of." She turned the picture towards Nikita. It showed Alex standing outside of her apartment on the side of her car. She was putting a pill in her mouth while holding a bottle of medicine. Nikita was stunned and didn't want to believe it. She couldn't trust Amanda.

"If you don't believe me ask her yourself. Better yet, watch her. I'm sure you will be able to see the difference eventually. It looks like the stress of Division and her relationship with Sean has taken a toll on her. Look what you've done to your friend. Your 'sister,'" Amanda mocked. Nikita shook her head, she couldn't believe that this was happening to the girl she tried so hard to protect. _Alex never even said that anything was wrong, or should she have? I should've noticed. _

"That's right. It's all right under your nose...you just can't keep track of it all. Face it Nikita, Division is too much for you to handle and think about it-do you think Alex would stay if perhaps she had the option to bring her father back?" Amanda asked. Nikita looked at Amanda and could see the venom in her eyes. "No," Amanda answered for her.

"Now she will end up being another causality just like Daniel." Nikita's heart dropped when Amanda said this. Amanda knew that was a touchy topic for her and adding Alex's unknown drug problem made her feel even worse.

"It was Division that killed him! Not me!" Nikita yelled. "And it's Division that's hurting Alex!"

"Exactly! So why keep it open?" Amanda asked. "Why carry the burden of the place that destroys people you love? What about Michael, huh? Do you think Michael would stay and fight the fight in Division if he could bring back his wife and child?"

A lump formed in Nikita's throat. Her heart was beating faster than ever at this point and she was shaking uncontrollably.

"He had a life before you. Do you really think you can replace that part of his life? I know you want to marry him but it makes no sense to waste your time dealing with Division when you can finally have the life you've wanted. You don't even have to worry about Cassandra and the little boy."

_What? How did she know? _Nikita's eyes grew wide and Amanda just chuckled.

Nikita couldn't keep her tears in any longer and she was mad at herself for letting Amanda get to her emotionally, but that was what Amanda was always good at. Amanda always picked at Nikita's mind until it became unbearable. Amanda had a smirk on her face. She knew that she was winning and she enjoyed every bit of it.

"I have a proposition for you," Amanda started. "You can go on and live peacefully with Michael forever and...let me have Division."

Nikita immediately gave Amanda a look of disapproval.

"Proposition number two: You still keep control over the Division site while I act as Oversight. I control and have say so on what goes on."

"I don't have control over Division. The government does. If you want that you need to take it up with them." Nikita said.

"My second to last option is for you to help me solve every hidden mission on the black box. Percy has things hidden everywhere in this country. You along with my team can do the fieldwork. I need someone else with brains controlling my operations." Nikita scoffed in disbelief.

"There is no way in hell that I will ever work for you Amanda." Amanda immediately frowned then turned to leave the room. Nikita watched her knock on the door and saw a man open it for her.

_I've got to get out of here..._

Nikita began pulling away from the ties on her wrist. At this point they were red and bruised, but she wanted badly to get out of the chair so she could fight Amanda the way she always wanted to.

She heard the door open and this time Amanda came in with a large metal table. On top of it was a large contraption that was covered in a blanket.

She stopped a couple of feet in front of Nikita then came around the table. Amanda looked at Nikita and then pulled the sheet off. It was a machine with a long metal piece jutting out of it.

"What is this another one of your toys?" Nikita sarcastically remarked. "I can't imagine what you do to Ari."

Amanda cut her eyes at Nikita and then picked up a thick needle off of the table.

"Do you know what this is Nikita?"

"Surprise me."

"It is a cranial needle used to remove brain tumors. I will insert this into your frontal lobe through your nose. Afterwards, you will be paralyzed. I don't know if Birkhoff told you about it but he has had a glimpse of this too. I didn't have the chance to fully try it on him...but I think you will do."

"Why are you doing this?" Nikita asked completely disgusted and horrified.

"Because you have completely defied me. I taught your everything. I made you Nikita and what do you do? You completely ignore and reject everything that allowed for you to be the strong woman you are today. You took away everything that was mine. I want it back but if I can't have what I want then neither should you."

"You wont do it."

"Really? You don't think so?" Amanda said in her eerily calm tone as she attached the needle to the device.

"You didn't kill me before. You've had many chances to. Face it Amanda you have a soft spot for me."

At the moment Amanda looked Nikita in the eyes long and hard. Nikita was right, Amanda did secretly care about Nikita. She was the only recruit that Amanda ever had hope for that would become something, would become everything Division once stood for. It was something she always believed in. She didn't want a rehabilitation center she wanted something useful out of it. She saw Division the way Percy once did but even he got out of hand with it. Amanda once thought it'd be better to let it all go to hell but something about it pulled her in. It changed her the way it changed everyone else who ever walked through those dim halls. It poisoned her even more than she had realized. It was that look that Ari gave her after he found out that she wanted to capture Owen. She knew that Division was always going to be apart of her just like it would always be apart of Nikita. She wanted Nikita to understand that and grasp it. Since Nikita would not, she saw no other choice but to get rid of her.

"No, I didn't but I should have. I thought you could be saved but I was wrong." She pointed the needle at Nikita's nose and it stood two inches away. "Now it's time to get this over with. Oh, and don't forget I have access to Division. It'll be mine with or without you."

"Amanda..."

"Good bye." Amanda slowly pushed the needle into Nikita's nose...

Nikita woke up with a gasp and sat up frantically trying to catch her breath. Her heart was racing and she looked around to figure out where she was. She was no longer strapped to a chair in a bleak room but she was in her bed and Michael was holding her.

"Nikita...Nikita..." Michael kept saying to her. "I'm right here. Nikita..."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and put her arms around him. He let her calm down a little before asking questions.

"What happened? Was it a bad dream?"

"It was...a nightmare. Amanda...Amanda she captured me and began talking about all these things that..." She trailed off overwhelmed with everything and not knowing where to start. "Michael it was like she could hear my thoughts and knew everything about me and you and Alex...it was scary. She told me that Alex was on drugs and she would leave if she could bring her father back."

"That's..." Michael didn't even know how to respond to that.

"She said you would leave if you could bring back your wife and daughter..."

Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes. That was a hard subject even now and he thought long and hard about getting remarried due to his past.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I'll never forget about them, ever. I still think about them all the time and before I decided to propose to you I had to decide if I was ready to move on from that." He looked her in the eyes. "I can tell you positively that I am ready and I want to be with you."

"But what if you could bring them back?"

"Then I would, and, yes, I would have to see my daughter and be in her life the way I lost that chance with her and my son, but I would stay with you. You are my fiancee now, and you helped relieve me of the pain of losing them. I love you," he said with sincerity and hugged her even tighter. Nikita couldn't stop crying.

"Do you think we should stop? With Division? It's keeping us apart."

"How?"

"We can't get married, can't settle down, we risk our lives everyday. Sometimes...I wonder if I really can die for Division. I worked so hard to bring it down. I know there is more for me..."

"There is. And yes I think about Division all the time and wonder if it's all worth it. Then, I think about all the people that we care about that need second chances and I think my rush to settle down and get married isn't as necessary as giving these people lives. Sure I want to get married but it can wait because either way we still have each other everyday."

Nikita listened to him talk and wondered how he always knew what to say. He knew how to make all her worries disappear and she remembered why she cared about him so much. It scared her because their lives were always in danger and she didn't know what she'd do without him, but she knew that staying together would make them stronger. People like Amanda wouldn't have the chance of tearing them apart.

"I love you," she whispered and kissed him. They laid back down and Michael made sure to hold onto her. She still felt unsettled, unsure, and vulnerable from her dream, but it was only a dream. She knew that she was going to encounter Amanda sooner or later, but she was confident that her friends would stay by her side as she would always stay by theirs. No one could ever take that away.


End file.
